S4YC @ Wharton Childrens Centre

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enter the busy nursery with confidence and anticipation. They know that they will have time to play and explore. Staff show that they understand how children learn. When toddlers show an interest in building with blocks, staff join in and talk with them. Children develop a steady hand as they carefully stack the blocks. They have fun discovering what happens when their tower gets too tall and tumbles down. Pre-school children work together to complete a number jigsaw puzzle. Staff support them to count accurately. Children learn that the last number that they say tells them which written numeral to look for.

There is a purposeful atmosphere in the nursery and this helps to promote children's concentration and motivation to learn. Staff have introduced strategies for promoting children's self-control. They show children a red circle and say 'stop'. Then they prompt children to think about and modify their behaviour. This helps children to become considerate towards others as they grow. Parents and carers say that they feel listened to. They are pleased with how staff work in partnership with them when children transfer to the next childcare room. This fosters positive relationships that promote children's emotional well-being.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

• Leaders and managers evaluate the provision. They plan improvements that have a positive impact on children's experience and learning. In one example, children were enabled to move freely between the indoor and outdoor spaces. This has helped to promote children's healthy development. Children feel even more encouraged to follow unique lines of enquiry in their play.
• The provider's system for supervising staff is supportive. Staff say that they feel able to share concerns and to put forward their own ideas for advancing their professional skills. However, sometimes, the intended impact of planned training and development is not stated explicitly enough. This means that, sometimes, the impact of professional development activities on the quality of practice is not measured accurately enough.
• The curriculum promotes children's health and physical development effectively. Toddlers eagerly explore the indoor climbing frame. Climbing the steps promotes children's balance and helps to strengthen their muscles. Pre-school children develop cooperative, imaginative play that involves running and chasing. They get out of breath and this helps them to develop stamina. They learn to change speed and direction with increasing ability.
• Staff plan activities that promote children's hand and finger strength. Children squeeze and roll play dough. They peel oranges at snack time. Children draw and paint frequently and staff support them to progress towards using a tripod pencil grip. This helps children to develop the foundations of fluid handwriting.
• Staff promote children's communication development. Children of all ages join in with action songs. This helps them to learn new words and they repeat correctly formed sentences. However, there are occasions when staff communicate less effectively. Pre-school children gather for story time, but some need more support to move their attention from self-initiated play to being ready to listen to the story. They miss the beginning and this limits their learning.
• Children's readiness and motivation to read are promoted well. They encounter books everywhere in the nursery and staff frequently read to individual and small groups of children. The nursery has books for children to borrow. This helps parents to continue children's learning at home. Children learn that reading is pleasurable and that books give them new information.
• Staff provide tailored support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They welcome advice from other professionals and incorporate it into children's learning plans. Additional funding is used effectively. For example, staff purchase equipment that enhances children's learning. Staff support parents to participate in multi-agency assessment processes. This helps everyone to understand and meet the needs of children with SEND.
• Staff follow policies and procedures that help them to promote children's welfare. Children's accidents and injuries are recorded and parents are informed. Managers check and collate the accident reports. The information that they gain informs changes to risk assessments and staff training. This promotes and continuously improves the health and safety of children and staff.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• check that professional development activities have a precise intention, so that the impact on practice is measured and built upon
• help staff to focus even more closely on the detail and impact of every interaction with children.